A Muslim woman was reportedly subject to a brutal verbal and physical attack after a man wished her a ‘Merry Christmas’ and she responded with ‘Happy Holidays’.

The victim was allegedly assaulted after an exchange of words with a man quickly escalated into an attack outside the Beeliar Village complex near Perth, Western Australia on Friday night.

According to the Islamophobia Register Australia, the attacker smashed the 33-year-old woman over the back with a beer bottle. Police are also investigating reports the man stole the woman’s headscarf after the incident.

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The woman, who wanted to remain anonymous, told WAtoday:

He yelled, ‘no merry Christmas’, so I said ‘OK’, then he called me a ‘fucking Muslim cunt’.

I asked him what he said and I saw him grab a bottle so I quickly turned away and he threw it at me and it smashed on my shoulder and neck.

I was screaming on the phone to triple-zero because I thought this guy could kill me.

I was running into oncoming traffic to get away from this guy because he was threatening to punch me in the face. I have been racially abused in the past because of my religion but this is by far worse.

Officers say they are looking for a light-skinned man aged between 25 and 35, around 5ft 9ins tall, of slim build and with short blond hair. He was reportedly wearing blue shorts and a white top.

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Unfortunately, this is only one of many religion-centered hate crimes.

Last week, a Muslim woman was dragged along the pavement by her hijab in north-east London. Also this month, a Muslim woman was attacked by three men who yelled ‘Donald Trump’ in Manhattan, and another who was pushed down stairs and called a terrorist.

Since the Brexit vote and the election of Trump, hate crimes have soared by 41 per cent according to Home Office figures.